Anxiety Disorder Drug Discovery Service

With over 10 years of CRO experience in neuroscience research, Creative Biolabs prides itself on being an innovator and problem solver in the field of neuroscience. Our expertise is accomplished by a team of strategic advisors and technical advisors who are among the most renowned experts in their fields. They provide us with the right support and expertise for each of the different stages of the development of your project.

Anxiety Disorder Overview

Generalized anxiety disorder is characterized by excessive and uncontrollable worries about life events. These worries are accompanied by motor tension or hypervigilance. The emergence of new techniques to explore the precise molecular and genetic basis of the cognitive-affective processes associated with anxiety disorders may lead to the development of new treatments.

Fig.1 Brain circuit that is involved in emotion dysregulation in generalized anxiety disorder. (Qiao, 2017)

Creative Biolabs' Analysis of Metabolomic Biomarkers in Anxiety Disorders

The underlying biological factors driving anxiety disorders may be more suitable as biomarkers to guide personalized treatment because they are objective and can be measured externally. Among potential biomarkers, large-scale studies of metabolites (metabolomics) are currently considered one of the most informative representations of biological function, as these molecules carry out or respond to most processes in the body. Metabolites associated with oxidative stress, energy metabolism, lipids metabolism, inflammatory processes, glutamine metabolism, and neurotransmission seem likely to serve as biomarkers for anxiety disorders.

Creative Biolabs' Animal Models of Anxiety Disorders

Animal models help to understand the underlying mechanisms of anxiety and to screen and develop new drug candidates to treat anxiety. Some models of anxiety have focused on changes associated with acute stress, whereas others have aimed at understanding the neurobiology of chronic stress. Thus, animal models of anxiety are not intended to replicate all the features and symptoms of specific anxiety disorders, but rather to produce a state of anxiety that may be associated with those disorders.

• Ethological (unconditioned) Behavioral-based Models

These models are proposed to have high ethological validity, permitting a more detailed characterization of the behavioral changes induced by the tests. The elevated plus maze (EPM), is perhaps the most employed animal model of anxiety in current practice. The Elevated Zero Maze (EZM) is an improvement on the EPM by combining traditional and novel behavioral approaches to analyzing drug effects while eliminating the ambiguous interpretation of animal location in the central area of the EPM.

• Other Animal Models of Anxiety

Predator exposure is an important animal modeling to identify the effects of threatening situations on different brain regions and the relationship between defensive behavior and fear-related disorders, such as panic attacks and PTSD. This model was pharmacologically validated with the observation that chronic administration of panicolytic drugs decreases the fight reactions induced by the presence of the predator, whereas benzodiazepines preferentially inhibit the avoidance behavior.

Creative Biolabs' Services for Anxiety Disorders Preclinical Drug Discovery

• In Vitro Services
• In Vivo Services
• Ex Vivo Services
• Discovery Services
• Development Services

At Creative Biolabs, we challenge ourselves to think out of the box and innovate. We team up with you to understand your needs and develop customized solutions to your satisfaction. We have been chosen by many large pharmaceutical and biotech clients for our expertise and flexibility in the field of neuroscience. Please do not hesitate to contact us for your anxiety disorders research.

Reference

1. Qiao, J.; et al. Aberrant functional network connectivity as a biomarker of generalized anxiety disorder. Frontiers in human neuroscience. 2017, 11: 626.